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Catholic — • The combination the Catholic Church (he katholike ekklesia) is found for the first time in the letter of St. Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, written about the year 110 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Catholic Catholic … Catholic encyclopedia

Catholic — Cath o*lic, n. 1. A person who accepts the creeds which are received in common by all parts of the orthodox Christian church. [1913 Webster] 2. An adherent of the Roman Catholic church; a Roman Catholic. [1913 Webster] {Old Catholic}, the name… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

catholic — is a word of Greek origin meaning ‘universal’ and ‘of universal human interest’, and retains this meaning in English when spelt with a small initial (as in catholic styles, tastes, etc). When spelt with a capital initial it refers to the Roman… … Modern English usage